My Daily Life as the Reliable Best Friend of a Dense Rom-Com Protagonist Childhood Friend Is Way Too Much Like a Nukige

Chapter 77: ‘The Blonde, Blue-Eyed Beautiful Girl and Sexual Desire’ ♡

One day during lunch break, on the school rooftop. Ati, sitting in front of me, holds a pen in one hand with a notebook, staring at me with a serious expression. Then she quietly asks:

“I heard that boys masturbate every day. Is that true?”

I put a hand on my chin, hummed thoughtfully, and answered calmly.

“Only middle schoolers who just learned how do it every day. By high school, it usually settles down. Plus, if you want high-quality masturbation, it takes time per session, so the frequency naturally drops.”

“I see… So it’s about onality!”

“‘Jerkality’ changes the nuance a bit.”

Ati nods repeatedly and scribbles in her notebook. I feel like we had similar exchanges during our free research project, but this girl’s intellectual curiosity about erotic things knows no bounds.

Ati taps the back of her ballpoint pen against the notebook as if organizing the information.

“By the way, what happens if a boy stops masturbating completely?”

“Well… It’s not like your balls will explode or anything, but it does affect your condition to some extent.”

“Your performance drops, huh. Then you really should actively jerk it!”

Hearing the word “jerk it” come out of Ati’s mouth — who looks incredibly pure and proper — is pretty great. What a vocabulary.

“Besides, a guy’s masturbation is a form of self-care. Just like how girls put on lotion and pat their skin to refine themselves, guys polish themselves by stroking their cocks.”

“I see… It’s self-improvement!”

“You’ve got a way with words.”

Well, compared to what girls call “self-improvement,” jerking off polishes you way more. Physically, at least.

“Also, ejaculation doubles as a form of excretion. You want to flush out old sperm as waste and feel refreshed.”

“It’s detox!”

“Ejacu-tox, more like.”

“What the hell are you two talking about in broad daylight?”

Shiina, who had gone to the toilet, had returned at some point and was looking at us with half-lidded eyes. Ati shows an innocent smile and runs over to her.

“I was learning about male physiology from Tomo. From a girl’s perspective, boys are a bundle of mysteries.”

“Having interest in the opposite sex is normal. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“You say that so convincingly… You were just talking about ejaculation. You two are way too deep in puberty.”

Shiina says this with an exasperated tone and starts fiddling with her phone. This girl just doesn’t understand the romance of ejaculation.

“Think about it calmly — isn’t ejaculation amazing? Sperm comes out of the same passage as piss. And while sperm is coming out, you absolutely can’t pee. It’s the ultimate functional beauty.”

“I don’t get it. I’ve never felt any beauty in ejaculation.”

Shiina has completely lost interest. Even though during sex she’s all over my dick, acting pure now is pointless.

Ati closes her notebook with a snap.

“Haa~… I’d like to experience ejaculation myself someday.”

“Futanari, huh. That’s completely outside my expertise.”

“Is a girl having a penis a no-go for you, Tomo?”

“The dick itself is fine, but usually balls come as a set, right? Seeing balls just makes me fully recognize it as male, so it’s impossible for me.”

“But if there are no balls, it becomes proper fantasy. Then the question becomes ‘Where did that sperm come from?’”

“Yeah, true. That aside, any futanari in yuri stuff is a hard no. Balls or no balls, it’s completely out. Don’t grow a dick and then try to pass it off as yuri.”

While Ati and I were passionately debating futanari, Shiina shouted:

“Save that kind of talk for home!”

　　　　　◯

And so, I invited Ati over after school. Well, we just walked home together from school.

“Want coffee? I’ll brew some if you do.”

“Yes… Actually, before that, there’s something I want to do.”

Ati looks at me with eyes full of anticipation. Then she smiles innocently and says:

“Let’s do something naughty♪”

“Straight to the point, huh.”

“Do you dislike me because I like naughty things?”

“Of course not. It’s my favorite thing.”

Girls like Shiina who love erotic stuff but still have that pubescent sense of shame are delicious, but I also really love the type like Ati who purely seeks sex for pleasure. Erotic beautiful girls are the best.

“Then shall we take off our clothes?”

“Wait. I have one suggestion.”

Ati makes a mischievous face and raises her index finger.

“We had PE today, right? So I have my gym uniform with me.”

“Ati… you really are the best girl.”

“Fufu. Since we have the chance, you should wear yours too, Tomo.”

“Mm. That would definitely give it more realism. Good idea.”

So Ati is the type who cares about the situation too. We’re getting along more and more.

We changed into our gym uniforms. Wearing gym clothes somewhere other than school makes it feel extra forbidden and it’s incredibly good.

Ati clasps her hands behind her back and peeks up at my face.

“…You can do whatever you want to me, okay?”

Ati seductively licks her lips. What a bewitching smile. Wearing the supreme natural costume of a gym uniform increases her charm by 50%.

“Then sit on my lap.”

“Yes♡”

I sit on the bed and Ati lowers herself onto my crotch. The sweet scent of fabric softener and a girl’s peach-like aroma drifts from her back, instantly making me hard.

“Sniff sniff. Ati’s scent really hits me right in the crotch.”

“Fufu♡ Tomo’s cock is pressing against my butt, you know?”

“Is your place wet yet?”

“Ah♡♡”

I slip my hand into her short pants and touch her secret spot. It’s hot and drenched with slippery juices. When I rub it with my finger, wet lewd sounds echo.

“Aah♡ Tomo♡ Your touch is so naughty♡”

“Touch me too. Mine.”

“Okay…♡”

Ati strokes my cock over my gym shorts. Once I take off my shorts, she grabs my rock-hard shaft and starts jerking it.

“Nn♡ Fufu, it’s so hot and throbbing. Boys really are amazing♡”

“Your place is hot too. Listen to that sound.”

“Auuu♡♡ Your finger is inside…♡♡ Aunnn!♡♡”

I stir up her insides with wet squelching sounds while my other hand gropes her breasts. The soft texture of the gym shirt feels incredible. When I flick her stiff nipples, Ati breathes heavily and looks at me with lustful eyes.

“Tomo…♡ I want it already♡”

“You really are a lewd girl. I want to put it in you too.”

“Kyaa♡”

I push Ati down onto the bed. I grab a condom from the drawer, quickly put it on, then pull down her shorts and panties to her ankles. I press my cock against her loosened, wet slit.

—Zununuuu!!

“Aaaaah♡♡ So sudden♡ It’s so deep…♡♡”

“It’s not just you — I couldn’t hold back either.”

I thrust deep inside and knock against her cervix. Ati twists her body and lets out rough breaths.

“It feels so good…♡♡ Just putting a cock in my pussy♡ Why does it feel this amazing♡♡”

“It’s because your body has been properly developed. Look how it’s sucking me in.”

Her fleshy folds suck and cling tightly — the feeling is perfect. While rhythmically pounding into her, I roll up her shirt and expose her breasts.

“Hamu. Chuu chuu. Chuu—”

“Nnnn♡♡ My breasts are sensitive♡♡ If you suck them like that—♡♡”

—Twitch!!

Ati’s body convulses hard. She came from her breasts. Her insides are also writhing, feeling incredible. The amount of love juice is insane.

“You’re even more sensitive than when we developed you before. Have you been playing with yourself?”

“Nn♡ Yes♡ I remember Tomo’s hands and… do it alone♡”

“Good girl. But you can’t reach this spot by yourself, right?”

“Aaaaaah!?♡♡♡”

When I twist my hips and grind her G-spot, Ati shakes her head wildly. With a sloppy, melted expression, she drools and pulls me closer by my back.

“My pussy is tingling♡ My stomach is so hot♡♡ I can’t get this from masturbating alone♡”

“Then enjoy it plenty. I’ll go harder now.”

—Zuchu zuchu zuchu!! Pan pan pan!!

I firmly hold Ati’s body and deliver merciless pile-driver thrusts. The sound of flesh slapping, the smell of sweat, and a girl’s sweet scent. My brain feels like it’s melting.

“Auuh♡♡ Hiuuu!♡♡ Tomo, I’m— I’m cumming!!♡♡”

“I’m about to cum too. I’ll let it all out.”

“Please cum inside me♡ Get refreshed♡”

Ati whispers in a hoarse voice. At the same time, her vaginal walls tighten, and I climax.

“Ugh… Fuck, that feels good…”

“Unnnnnn!♡♡♡ Nuuuuu~~~~♡♡♡”

Ati reaches an intense orgasm. Her head shakes violently as her whole body convulses. Her writhing pussy squeezes my cock tightly during ejaculation, milking out every last drop.

“Haa haa. That was refreshing.”

“Fufu♡ I feel refreshed too♡ Both boys and girls feel refreshed from naughty things, it’s the same♡”

“Maybe so.”

We rub our foreheads together playfully and share a sweet kiss.

“Fuu. I’m drenched in sweat. Gym clothes are nice because you don’t have to worry about getting them dirty.”

“That’s the best part of gym uniforms. You get it.”

“Fufu. I think I’m starting to understand how Tomo feels.”

Ati smiled with a sweaty face.

“I want coffee now.”

“Yeah, I’ll make some.”

“With lots of milk, please♡”

“Got it.”

We enjoyed our post-sex coffee completely naked.

—Yeah, girls with strong sex drives are the best!

Chapter 78: ‘The Blonde, Blue-Eyed Beautiful Girl and New Friends’

You can probably tell a lot about a person by what they associate with autumn. Appetite for food, reading, art… that sort of thing. For Shiina, it would probably be “the autumn of sports.” Though she exercises all year round anyway.

“Our school has its sports festival in autumn, but these days a lot of places do it in May. Both elementary and middle school did it in May for us.”

“May is just more comfortable weather-wise.”

“My elementary school also did it in May.”

After school, the usual group gathered and chatted as always. Today’s topic was something like “What are you going to do when autumn comes?” Very casual.

I crossed my arms and let out a snort.

“I like exercising, but the moment it becomes mandatory, I lose all motivation.”

“Okayuuu, you used to say you hated sports day back in elementary school, right?”

“Tomo, you’re good at sports but you still hate it?”

“The motivation is completely different between moving your body freely and being told to do it. Is there any fun in being forced?”

“Geez, you’re such a contrarian. You always end up enjoying it anyway once it starts.”

Shiina looked exasperated. She’s right — my switch flips on its own. My dislike of being forced hasn’t changed even now.

“Well, once we become adults we probably won’t have many chances to do sports festivals, so maybe we should enjoy them while we can.”

“Some companies still have company sports days, you know?”

“Would it be managers vs employees?”

“Winning would make things super awkward. No thanks. I don’t want to do customer service even at a sports festival.”

I instinctively retorted at Ati’s gentle joke. Just imagining a corporate sports festival with obligatory socializing sounded awful.

Shiina giggled and gently patted Ati’s head.

“I wonder what kind of events they do at company sports days? They’d probably have relays.”

“Pole toppling maybe?”

“That’s way too hardcore. Think about their age. It’d affect work the next day.”

“The next day is a paid holiday for hospital rehab.”

『Everyone’s got fractures!』

We chatted in our usual silly way until Shiina left first for club activities. Just as the rest of us were thinking about heading home—

『—Um!』

“Oh?”

“Eh?”

Two girls called out to us.

“Could we… talk with you for a moment?”

“We won’t take much of your time…!”

“Uh, you’re Okagawa and Aino, right?”

The tall one was Okagawa, and the girl with medium height and glasses was Aino. They belong to the plain girls group in class, but they’re quite popular among the boys for being pretty cute. I wonder what they want.

As I tilted my head, the two looked at Ati and said:

“We wanted to talk to Katie-san.”

“Is that okay…?”

“E-eh? Me?”

Ati looked surprised. She’s back in rare shy mode. You don’t have to be shy with your own classmates.

Aino shyly brushed her bangs while looking at Ati with admiring eyes.

“I’ve been interested in you for a while, Katie-san. I wanted to talk to you.”

“Yeah yeah! Our seats are close, so we can hear your conversations a lot…!”

Okagawa also looked at Ati with sparkling, admiring eyes.

“Katie-san, you’re really funny…!”

“Eh!”

Ati’s eyes went wide. The two girls looked at each other, nodded, then turned back to Ati with shining eyes.

“We’ve been listening to your conversations with the three of you, and Katie-san always says the funniest things. We thought you had great sense.”

“Eh, maybe you could even enter M1…?”

Ati turned bright red and frantically waved her hands.

“N-no way! Even if we entered M1, we’d probably lose in the first round at best!”

“You think you’d even pass the qualifiers? Where’s that confidence coming from??”

When I retorted at Ati’s gentle joke, the two girls giggled.

“Fufu. You really are funny.”

“It’s like watching a comedy duo.”

They seemed to be big fans. Both of them are clearly interested in Ati. I guess I’m in the way here.

I quietly started to leave.

“I’ll head home first. You girls enjoy your private talk.”

“Wait!”

Ati grabbed my hand pleadingly.

“Please stay too, Tomo! I’m begging you.”

“I’d just be in the way.”

“No! Please stay too, Kamioka-kun!”

“Please…!”

For some reason, the two of them also stopped me. I kind of suspected it, but it looks like everyone here is shy, huh?

With no other choice, I prepared two more seats and sat down again.

“…………Au.”

“…………Uu.”

“…………Nn.”

The three of them kept glancing at each other and looking away. Is this a matchmaking meeting?

Just as I was about to step in and help, Ati spoke up.

“U-um. If you’d like, please call me Ati. That’s what people close to me call me.”

Oh, Ati took the first step herself. She’s grown. I’m tearing up.

The two girls looked visibly relieved.

“Um, Ati-san. I’m Aino Kaho!”

“I’m Okagawa Mizuki…!”

『Nice to meet you!』

Ati greeted them back. This atmosphere is killing me. My back is itchy.

The three of them had taken the big step of introducing themselves, but they were still showing heavy shyness. I guess I should support them.

“Are you two in any clubs?”

When I asked, the two perked up as if they’d been waiting for the question and proudly puffed their chests.

“We’re in the Literary Club!”

“Yes…!”

“The Literary Club! That’s wonderful!”

“Well, it’s not an officially recognized club though.”

The two awkwardly scratched their cheeks. What does that mean? I remember our school’s Literary Club being properly approved. As if answering my silent question, Aino spoke.

“We’re the Second Literary Club.”

“You do band stuff?”

“…? No, we don’t?”

“Tomo, why did you suddenly ask that?”

“Sorry, my bad. I interrupted the flow.”

—From what I heard, it was an unofficial group that branched off from the Literary Club, using the old school building as their base.

“If you’d like, why don’t you come hang out with us sometime?”

“Kamioka-kun too…!”

“Tomo, since they invited us, shall we go?”

“Well, I have a late shift at my part-time job today, so I’ve got time.”

And so, we headed to the old school building.

As time passed, the shy girls warmed up and the three of them were chatting happily.

“Ati-san, you like Honobu Mizawa too! That’s great~”

“Aino-san likes Yasutaka Tsutsui! Have you read ‘Lagos of the Journey’?”

“I like ‘The Imaginary Fleet’… Fufu.”

Watching them, I realized how powerful shared hobbies can be. Even shy people can become friends quickly.

I was watching from a slight distance when Ati turned to me.

“Tomo, what kind of novels do you like?”

“Hmm. Ones where every character is kind of a bad person, but still has humanity… something like that?”

“Let me guess. You like Kotaro Isaka, right?”

“Bingo.”

『Ooh~』

The two girls looked impressed. What’s up with them?

“You two really get along.”

“Your timing is perfect…! Are you two dating?”

That was such a classic assumption. Just as Ati and I were about to deny it—

“Your back-and-forth is like a married couple’s comedy routine.”

“You two really suit each other…!”

“Married couple comedy?”

Ati tilted her head in confusion.

“Tomo, ‘meoto’ means husband and wife, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Tomo and… me. As papa and mama. Hiu.”

Ati’s face turned bright red. She squeezed her cheeks with both hands and fidgeted.

“I-it’s still way too early for us!”

“What’s with that reaction? That was completely unexpected.”

She can calmly deny it when people ask if we’re lovers, but gets embarrassed when told we’re like a married couple. I don’t get Ati’s sense of values at all.

“We’re still high school students! It’s way too early to make babies!”

“Your train of thought is unreadable again. How did you even get there?”

Hearing our conversation, the two plain girls were squealing. This is tiring.

“By the way, you two waited until Shiina left before calling out to us. You’re bad with her?”

“No way!”

“Ishikawa-san is a heavenly goddess who kindly talks even to lowly creatures like us!”

“You’re being way too humble.”

“Just talking to her feels too presumptuous…! It’s embarrassing.”

In short, they like Shiina too much and get nervous around her. That girl really is popular.

“You’re not nervous talking to Ati?”

“Of course we are. But we sensed the same kind of aura from her, so we worked up the courage.”

“Introverts are destined to attract each other…”

“I see.”

Ati has that natural small-animal-like friendliness, so she was probably easier to approach.

“I’m really happy you two talked to me. I’m so happy we could chat like this.”

Ati smiled brightly. Well, if she’s having fun, that’s what matters.

We eventually reached the old school building. The floorboards creaked noisily with every step due to age. I’d heard that most proper clubs had moved to the new building, and only weird unofficial groups remained here.

The Second Literary Club was deep inside the old building. When Aino opened the door, a dusty yet sweet smell of old books filled the air.

“Amane-chan, we’re back.”

“You’re late.”

Tall bookshelves lined both sides. At a desk by the window in the back, a fluffy-haired girl with pale features sat staring at a desktop PC. She spoke in a husky voice.

“Aino-san. Who is this person?”

“This is Oshio Amane. She’s in the same year as us and is the president or leader of this group?”

“Either is fine. I don’t care about titles.”

She coldly cut off Aino’s introduction and continued clicking her mouse, eyes glued to the screen.

“The only thing of value in this club… is numbers.”

“Still the same number supremacist, I see.”

“Because accumulated numbers never betray you.”

When I gave a questioning look, Aino answered.

“Amane-chan just uploaded a new novel to a story submission site. The rankings for today are about to be finalized.”

“In ‘Shousetsuka ni Narou’, those with points are absolute justice.”

“Hmm.”

I walked around and peeked at the desktop.

“What kind of novel are you writing?”

“This time I’m trying a rom-com. It’s a forbidden love story between a high school protagonist and his younger sister.”

“Heh. I’d like to read a bit.”

“Want to read it? ………???”

Amane-chan finally looked up for the first time and stared at my face. Then her eyes widened—

“AAAAA MANNNN!?!?!?”

She fell over backwards in her chair with a loud crash. The noisy sound echoed through the clubroom.

Aino smiled bitterly.

“Amane-chan is really bad with boys. That’s why she quit the regular Literary Club.”

“Then why did you enroll in a co-ed school?”

I was completely dumbfounded.

Chapter 79: ‘The Future Novelist and “Shousetsuka ni Narou”‘

「…………」

「……Mmm.」

The silence was so unbearably awkward that even I kept my mouth shut. The person we met when we visited the Second Literary Club in the old school building was a girl writer who was extremely bad with boys.

No, seriously — why did you guys bring me along? I really wanted to retort.

“Aino. Okagawa. Have you finished the assignment pieces?”

Amane-chan finally spoke, treating me as if I didn’t exist. Both Aino and Okagawa awkwardly scratched their cheeks.

“Um… We’re actually still at the stage of refining the plot…”

“I-I’m the same…”

Amane-chan rested her cheek on her hand and let out a big sigh.

“You’re probably just twisting the story around in your head until you can’t tell if it’s interesting anymore and then you can’t write it. You won’t know if it’s interesting unless you actually write it. Stop saying boring things like ‘the plot this’ and ‘the plot that’ and just write it boldly.”

She was giving solid advice like a proper club president. Hey, can I go home now?

As I was feeling fed up, Ati, who was sitting next to me, tapped my shoulder.

“Tomo. Are we… maybe intruding?”

“You finally noticed. We’re clearly intruders here.”

While Ati and I were whispering, Amane-chan glanced our way.

“Look, even though people say I have a difficult personality, I’m not so exclusive that I’d treat guests badly. I at least have the decency to entertain them.”

She added quietly, “I just didn’t expect you to bring a boy,” but I heard that loud and clear, you know??

I scratched my head roughly and asked.

“Hey. Why are you so bad with guys? Did something happen to you?”

Amane-chan stared at me for a moment, then sighed.

“…When I was in elementary school, a boy from a different school district came to play in the park. The moment he saw me, he said, ‘Your hair looks like cotton candy, it looks delicious!’”

“That’s pretty creepy. Even for a kid.”

“I might have cried if someone said that to me.”

Even the gentle Ati looked visibly creeped out. That kid had a bright future as a creep.

“There were lots of other small things too, and that’s how I became bad with boys.”

I can understand the feeling, but I wish she wouldn’t assume all guys are perverts like that.

“Do you remember that boy’s name?”

When Ati asked, Amane-chan put her thumb on her chin and tilted her head.

“I remember it was a weird surname… What was it again? Something like Nushibito?”

「…………」

It’s Kimio, isn’t it? Of all people, it had to be that guy.

Kimio has always been insanely popular with girls, but he’s probably left just as many traumas behind.

As Ati and I exchanged glances, Amane-chan looked at us with half-lidded eyes.

“What? Do you know him?”

“Nope. Never heard of him.”

I decided to play dumb. I don’t want to be associated with that guy. Ati read the atmosphere and nodded along vigorously.

“It doesn’t look like cotton candy at all. It’s a fluffy and cute hairstyle!”

“Really? Thanks.”

Amane-chan still looked suspicious, but when Ati praised her hair with a friendly smile, she smiled softly. Though her expression quickly turned complicated, as if some trauma had been triggered.

“It’s better now, but it was worse in elementary school. They shortened my mild afro and called me ‘Mafuro’ as a nickname.”

“That’s a ridiculously high-sense nickname for elementary school kids.”

If I had been in her class, I might have accidentally called her that.

“Nn.”

Amane-chan clicked her mouse a few times, then nodded.

“7th place for the day. Passing grade. The point growth is as expected. It’ll probably get on the cover tomorrow.”

I didn’t know if that was impressive or not, but it sounded very mechanical.

“You’re in the Literary Club so writing novels is obvious, but why do you post them online?”

When I asked, Amane-chan shrugged her shoulders as if exasperated.

“There’s only one reason to write novels and post them: to have as many people as possible read your work. There’s nothing else.”

“Isn’t it because you want to get published?”

“I won’t say my way is correct, but aiming for publication — for a novelist debut — will distort your writing. You’ll start seeing readers only as numbers.”

I like numbers, but I don’t write for numbers. Numbers are a means, not the goal — Amane-chan continued.

“If you want more people to read your work on a novel submission site, what do you think you should do? You have no choice but to aim for the top of the rankings.”

“Won’t people find it eventually if you keep writing steadily?”

When I voiced my simple doubt, Amane-chan gave a small chuckle.

“I’ll tell you a harsh truth. 90% of ‘Narou’ readers only read works that are in the top rankings — within the top 5 daily. That’s why I aim for the top 5. No, for 1st place.”

After declaring that, Amane-chan turned her eyes back to the PC screen.

“2 points for a bookmark, up to 10 points for a review. Behind every one of those is a real person. So when I get a high rating, I’m happy, and it motivates me to write something even more interesting to entertain them. Because I care about the numbers, I’m truly grateful to the readers who give me points, and I treasure them.”

“Heh.”

I was impressed. She’s more pure than I thought. I assumed she was just a money-obsessed girl only interested in getting published.

I became interested in her.

“Is ‘Amane-chan’ fine? Can I read your novel?”

“Drop the ‘chan’. Just Amane is fine. …It’s posted online anyway, so read it whenever you want.”

I loaded the URL Amane gave me on my phone. The title appeared:

『My Little Sister Who Teases Me Saying “Onii-chan, you don’t seem popular lol” is Actually Head Over Heels for Me』 — Author: Rainy Salt.

“That’s a long title. Narou anime titles are always ridiculously long too. Do you need them to be this long to get readers?”

“It doesn’t have to be long, but if the title doesn’t clearly show the story’s ‘selling point’, it won’t take off.”

“Hmm.”

I tapped the screen and started reading.

The premise was simple: a little sister who constantly teases her older brother, but her words and attitude are constantly leaking “I love Onii-chan!” The protagonist is dense, but he genuinely adores his sister. It depicted their frustrating yet extremely sweet daily life.

Up to that point it was a normal rom-com, but because they were blood-related siblings, the dangerous thrill of possibly crossing the line added a perfect spice of excitement for the readers.

Since there weren’t many chapters yet, I finished it quickly. I let out a breath.

“This is really interesting. It’s exactly my type of story.”

“R-really? Hmph. Not bad taste for a guy.”

Amane sounded indifferent, but her cheeks were red and the corners of her mouth were loosened. She had politely waited until I finished reading, clearly dying to know a reader’s raw reaction. She has a cute side. She kinda overlaps with the heroine of her own story.

“Rom-coms focused on one-on-one relationships that depict adolescent feelings are popular lately. I like them too.”

“I like them so I wrote one. One-on-one rom-coms let you dig deeper into the heroine, which is nice.”

Before I knew it, we were happily talking about rom-coms. Our tastes match surprisingly well.

“Amane-chan, you seem to get along with Kamioka-kun.”

“It’s my first time seeing Amane-chan warm up to a boy… Fufu, you look like you’re having fun.”

“Tomo is a wonderful, friendly, and kind man after all! Ehehe.”

The girls were chatting happily while leaving me out. This is embarrassing.

I fiddled with my phone and tapped a few times.

“I added a bookmark and gave it some points. Looking forward to the continuation.”

“Thanks. Fufu, I’m a genius after all. You can expect great things.”

Before long the sun had set and it was time to head home. Also, I have my part-time job, so I need to leave soon.

“Well, we’ll head out here. It was fun.”

“Can we come play again?”

When Ati and I stood up, Amane turned her face away with a huff.

“…Do whatever you want.”

“Amane-chan looks really happy.”

“She’s happy she made a friend with the same hobbies…!”

“It’s not like that.”

Amane pouted with a bright red face.

—And so, Ati and I gained new friends and a new place to hang out.

Chapter 80: ‘The Daily Life at Cafe Smatabucks’

One day after school. As I was working hard as usual at my part-time job at the café, the doorbell rang with a cheerful clang. Standing at the entrance was a blonde woman. She had a sharp, well-defined face with a high nose bridge — clearly a foreigner at first glance.

“Welcome… I mean, Welcome!”

When I greeted her with my clumsy English, the foreign woman walked straight up to me and started speaking rapidly.

“Perapera~ Peropero~ Perorincho! Hamehame pakopako! Zunzun pakopako?”

“Oof. Damn, you’re speaking way too fast. I have no idea what you’re saying.”

“Tomocchi! Tag in!”

While I was at a loss, Runa-senpai swooped in smoothly and took over. She began speaking fluent English.

“Nurunuru rero rero! Hamehame pakopako! Chinchin nurunuru pakorincho!”

“Ou! Pakohame nuponupo. Zunpako peroncho! HAHAHA!”

“Fufufu.”

They were chatting incredibly happily. I couldn’t understand a single word.

Senpai laughed and talked with the woman while guiding her to a seat, took her order smoothly, and handed it to the manager. When she came back, I poured a cup of coffee as thanks and placed it on the counter.

“Thank you. You really saved me. You speak English really well, Senpai.”

“I do speak it pretty well~? I studied abroad for half a year during high school.”

She said it casually while elegantly sipping her coffee. As expected, this gal-senpai really does come from a rather refined family.

“Weren’t you scared? It’s not just the language barrier, there’s also cultural differences and stuff.”

“Ahaha! Even among Japanese people, there are plenty of folks who feel like they’re from a completely different culture, right? It’s the same thing.”

“Oh. That’s an eye-opener.”

Now that she mentions it, it’s true. Even in Japan, which is generally considered safe, there are places so rough you wouldn’t want to live there. And there are tons of Japanese people you can’t communicate with. Especially the ones you see a lot on Twitter.

Runa-senpai closed her eyes nostalgically.

“My host family was really wonderful. I was anxious at first, but I warmed up to them quickly. On weekends they’d invite the neighbors over for home parties. It was the perfect environment to learn the language and culture.”

“That’s amazing. Every character in your story is a total normie.”

They say birds of a feather flock together. Maybe extroverts naturally attract other extroverts.

“Did you make friends your age?”

“Yeah. There was a girl the same age as me — Ellie. She’s still my best friend!”

“Wasn’t it hard to say goodbye?”

“When I was leaving Japan, we hugged each other and cried our eyes out. Well, now we go to the same university.”

“I was the one who invited her, saying ‘Why don’t you study here?’” Senpai laughed. Extroverts really are bundles of action power!

While I was feeling a mix of exasperation and admiration, the doorbell rang again.

“Look, Tomocchi. Customer’s here.”

“Yes. — Welcome!”

When I looked up, there stood a sharp-featured elderly man.

“Hey there, Tomohito-kun.”

“Shima-san. Good to see you.”

— His name is Shima Kousaku. He’s a highly influential advisor at a major corporation, but he doesn’t act arrogant at all. He’s one of our regulars and always speaks very friendly to me, even though I’m just a part-timer.

Shima-san patted his lower back and smiled wryly.

“Good grief, I overdid it last night despite my age.”

“I won’t ask for details. Are advisors supposed to have that much free time?”

He burst out laughing loudly at my rude remark, which was only possible because we were close.

“A company where the advisor is busy is already in trouble. Advisors are supposed to have free time.”

“I see. The usual for you?”

“Yes, please.”

I brewed his usual coffee with plenty of sugar and milk and brought it to his table. Shima-san smiled and said, “This is exactly what I like.”

While sipping the sweet coffee deliciously, he glanced sideways at me.

“Tomohito-kun, why don’t you join our company in the future? Young people these days lack ambition. I prefer energetic, hungry guys like you.”

“Are you allowed to say that? What if I’m the type who devours all the female employees?”

“Guys with that kind of predatory drive are better. When I was active, I only did ‘bed techniques.’ I climbed the ranks purely through bedroom skills.”

Talking to this guy makes me think company life might be easier than I imagined.

“Oh, just so you know, I’m being serious. I have a good eye for people. The trick is to harvest promising talents while they’re still green before someone else snatches them.”

Shima-san’s eyes were dead serious. I have no idea why he thinks so highly of me. I shrugged.

“Isn’t that just nepotism hiring? Wouldn’t that look bad?”

“Hah. Listen, Tomohito-kun. Remember this before you enter society.”

Shima-san grinned mischievously.

“The world runs on connections.”

…………

……

When I looked outside the window, it had gotten quite dark. The days are getting shorter lately. It’s already November — winter is just around the corner. Where did autumn go?

— Clang. Clang.

The doorbell rang again. We have a lot of customers today.

“Tomocchi, you’ve got customers.”

“Me?”

Puzzled by Runa-senpai’s words, I looked up and saw a blonde beautiful girl with a full-faced smile.

“Tomo♪ Good work today!”

“Ati? It hasn’t been that long. And also—”

Next to her was an unexpected face. It was Oshio Amane, who we recently became friends with. She was curiously looking around the store.

“Heh. So this is where Tomohito works. Not bad.”

“Amane? You came too?”

“I invited her. Amane-san said she likes coffee.”

“You two sure got close fast.”

“Ehehe~ We’re besties now.”

“That’s an overstatement. We’re not quite there yet.”

Amane denied it while clearly not minding Ati clinging to her. Well, Ati is a very genuine and approachable girl with no hidden sides. Even Amane, who admits she has a difficult personality, seems completely won over.

I understand up to this point, but then my eyes shifted to the girl standing behind the two.

“Shiina. Why are you here too?”

“It’s fine, isn’t it? We’re friends.”

“Friends?”

When I tilted my head, Ati nodded with a bright smile.

“Shii-chan said we should go home together after club, so I took the chance to introduce Amane-san.”

“And you became friends just like that?”

“Well. There wasn’t any reason to refuse.”

Amane turned her face away with a huff. Shiina watched the two of them with a gentle, warm smile.

“You managed to get close to Amane in such a short time.”

“I didn’t really do anything special?”

“How did you do it?”

“We just talked normally and things flowed from there?”

“Was it a fixed match? If it was that easy to make friends, I wouldn’t have struggled.”

I thought Amane was difficult because of how she acted during our first meeting, but she’s surprisingly easy. Or is it Shiina’s insane communication skills that let her befriend anyone in seconds? It’s honestly a little scary.

I suddenly realized something.

“By the way, should I let Runa-senpai take your order? Amane would probably prefer that, right?”

I thought I was being considerate of Amane’s dislike of men, but she shook her head slightly.

“You’re fine.”

“But aren’t you bad with guys?”

When I asked, Amane blushed and looked up at me.

“You’re special… because we’re friends.”

Amane’s mouth was fidgeting. Hey, isn’t your tsundere phase too short? The world’s tsundere enthusiasts won’t be satisfied with this level??

“Ehehe. Tomo is a wonderful person after all. It’s only natural that Amane-san would open her heart to him!”

“I-it’s not like that…”

“Ehh? Then what do you mean?”

“Ah, hey. Don’t cling to me so much.”